I remember the first time I tasted Creme Fraiche. It was my first trip to Paris…too many years ago to mention or else it will easily date me. First it was served alongside a berry tart in a cafe. Then later that week hadwas drizzled over a soup. The slightly sour, yet somehow slightly sweet creaminess was heaven and seemed equally at home with sweet or savory companions. “What is this magical cream that goes with things both sweet and savory,” I asked my waiter? “Madame, eet iz creme fraiche!” he said. Thus, began my love affair with creme fraiche.

Upon coming to China I realize it is very difficult to find. And in fact I started to make it myself. Turns out it is super easy (and also impressive to dinner guests). Now, like with mayonnaise and dressings, I will never buy commercial creme fraiche again.

How to Make Creme Fraiche:

• Combine 1 Tbsp of buttermilk for every 1 cup of heavy cream
• Let sit for 12 – 24 hrs depending on desired thickness (in a warmish, but not hot, location)

The creme fraiche will keep for up to 7 days in the refrigerator after making.

That’s it! Easy peasy. Homemade creme fraiche.

Hey all,

It’s no secret that we love Kamalaya here – a wonderful combo of relaxing space, great doctors, and inventive food. We’ve previously featured our personal experiences cooking with Kai, but now thanks to the internet you can have a virtual class with Kai yourself. In the video (hopefully more will soon follow) Kai teaches a Detox Garden Salad with Wasabe Dressing. A great salad that, like most of Kai’s food, belies its health-food status.

Check out the video here.

Paul

A wonderful little cooking course in a Thai-style outdoor kitchen

Thai food has become one of my favourite international cuisines. And unlike French or Italian where there are many competent executions in various cities around the world, I find Thai food a bit lackluster when not in Thailand. Don’t get me wrong, some places outside of Thailand do get it right, but they are few and far between. So we’ve decided to take matters into our own hands and make Thai food at home. I myself am a very comfortable and accomplished Western cook but I am unaccustomed to how to build the Thai flavour profiles. This is why whenever we go back to Thailand, I try to take a Thai cooking course to supplement my knowledge of Thai cooking. On our most recent trip, this was Baipai Cooking School in the Chongnonsee area of Bangkok.

The special thing about this cooking school is that they use a typical outdoor Thai style kitchen. Most Thais (and Asians in general) have very small and limited kitchens within the home and expansive outdoor kitchens adjacent to the home. This is because the high heat, resulting smoke and amount of oil required to stir fry makes it a near impossibility to do indoors. The Baipai kitchen is set in a charming little Thai house in a quiet part of town. As the chef leads you through recipes the wind whistles through the palm trees and geckos croak. It’s a special treat to enjoy the process of cooking and nature at the same time.

We made several dishes that day…preparing them as individual courses and sitting in between dishes to enjoy what we had just prepared. It ranged from the more simple things like Som Tum Thai (Green Papaya Salad) and Goong Ma-Kam (Prawn in Tamarind Sauce) to Chicken in Pandanus Leaf and Ganag Pehd Ped Yang (Roasted Duck in Red Curry). We learned everything from the basic practices of cleaning shrimp (a good refresher), how to properly use a pestle and mortar, how to tie pandan leaves, and even specific regional styles of preparation like separating coconut milk to extract the fullest fat cream part.

Between the new techniques we learned and the relaxed feel of the tropical, outdoor kitchen, it was a really lovely way to spend the day. Since some of you may be far from Thailand, we wanted to share some recipes with you and have picked a couple where we think you will be more likely to find the ingredients in most large city supermarkets. Enjoy!

Chicken in Pandanus Leaf
If there are no Pandanus leaves available where you live, you can also substitute a corn husk or simply put on BBQ skewers. Further, instead of chicken you can substitute shrimp or fish.

Ingredients:
70 grams chicken thigh cut into 5 bite sized pieces
5 Pandanus leaves
1 clove garlic
1 coriander root, roughly chopped
10 black pepper seeds
1 lemongrass, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
½ teaspoon white sesame seeds
2 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

Dipping sauce – 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce sprinkled with white sesame seeds.

Directions:

1. Pound coriander root, garlic, black pepper seeds and lemongrass together. Ideally in with a mortar and pestle. If not then in a bowl with a heavy wooden spoon.
2. Transfer into a mixing bowl with chicken, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, white sesame seeds and mix well. Leave to marinate 1 hour.
3. After 1 hour, wrap each piece of chicken in a pandanus leaf.
4. Submerge the bundle of chicken, completely wrapped in the leaf into hot oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
5. Serve with dipping sauce.

Prawn in Tamarind Sauce
To prepare the prawn, remove the sharp pointy part of the tail, then cut down the middle of the prawn. Pass the tail backwards through the hole in the middle. This results in a more evenly cooked and elegant presented prawn.

Ingredients:
3 – 4 medium sized prawn
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup vegetable oil for deep frying

Tamarind sauce:
1 tablespon shallot, finely sliced
2 tablespoons tamarind paste or sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons water

Garnish:
3 small dried chillis flash deep fried in oil
Fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves

Directions:

1. Prepare prawns as indicated above and coat them with flour. Deep fry until golden brown (1 minute). Set aside and drain on paper towel.
2. Prepare tamarind sauce by stir frying sliced shallot in oil until crisp. Add palm sugar, tamarind paste, fish sauce and water. NOTE – palm sugar must be added 1^st! Stir until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat. (Sauce will actually keep for 1 month if you wish to prepare in a larger batch to save).
3. Serve by arranging prawns on the plate and drizzle with the tamarind sauce. Garnish with the fried chillis and some fresh coriander

Baipai Cooking School,
150 / 12 Soi Naksuwan, Nonsee Road
Chongnonsee, Yannawa
Bangkok, Thailand
Telephone: +66 22 94 9029

It’s his latest post though that has him continually smiling (seriously, in a week on the island I don’t know if I ever saw the guy without at least a grin on his face). Can you blame him with a restaurant that has views like this every day?

You can clearly see his European culinary pedigree on every plate… right alongside Asian twists. Which is something I respect. He honors his roots in the kitchen while still responding to the environment he works in. Doing lighter dishes appropriate to the sun and sea of the Maldives, but with a refinement appropriate to the level of the resort.

If you’re lucky enough to go stay at Alila Villas Hadahaa, you won’t have to go searching the kitchen for a chance to talk to Chef Bastian. You’ll see him at almost every meal, out and about with the guests checking in on dishes and service. Despite having to oversee breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and the odd cooking demo on top of it all) he maintains an enthusiasm to his craft that leaves you no doubt the meal coming to your table will be great.

He was nice enough to share a few of the recipes he taught us on our visit and we’re sharing them with you here. When you make them imagine you’re sitting here:

Also drinking a nice white wine with a cool sea breeze blowing through the open dining area, and you’re looking out at waters so vivid, they redefine your definition of blue… at least that’s the way I got to enjoy this

Confit prawn, avocado nut salsa, cardamom pineapple & coriander oil
Confit prawn: 6 pcs prawn, 500ml olive oil, 1 pcs garlic peeled, 30g rosemary or thyme, 50 g mixed pepper, sea salt to taste

Put everything in a pot – bring it up to 75 C. place the prawn 6-8 min in the oil until cooked medium

Avocado salsa: 1hass avocado, 50g mixed nuts, salt, pepper to taste

Peel the avocado, crush with a fork, add the nuts and season it

Pineapple: 1 pineapple, 30g cardamom, 50g sugar, 1liter orange juice, 50ml white wine, salt, pepper,2 drop Tabasco

Cut the pineapple in cubes (use the trimmings for the fond), heat up the orange juice, add the trimmings, add Tabasco, white wine, salt & pepper, reduce to the half, add cardamom – keep for 5-10 minutes, strain the fond in another pot, add pineapple cubes and cook it slowly until “al dente”

Coriander oil: ½ bunch coriander leaves, 200ml olive oil, salt

Blend both ingredients together and add the salt to taste

Pan Fried Scallops, Pak Choi & Saffron Foam
Scallops: 6pcs scallops (USA or Japanese) salt, pepper, lime juice, butter

Heat up the pan, caramelize the scallops from both side, add the butter and lime juice, keep in the pan until medium cooked

Pak choi: 3 bunches of pak choi, 50g onion brunnoise, vegetable or fish stock, salt & pepper

Remove the stalk, sauté onion, add the pak choi, add stock, season to taste

Saffron foam: 50g onion brunnoise, 200ml white wine, 200ml stock, 200 ml cream / milk 50g butter, 2g saffron

Sauté onion, add the white wine, reduce to the half, add the stock, reduce to the half, add saffron, add cream / milk, add butter and blend it – strain in a another pot – blend again, until its nice foamy

Grilled Reef Fish, Parsnip Puree, Spinach Leaves & Capsicum Sauce
Reef fish: 150-200g fish filet, lemon juice, salt & pepper

Season the fish and place it on the grill, keep it on each side for 4-5 minutes or until its cooked

Parsnip: 200g parsnip cut in dices, 50g brunoise onion, 200 ml vegetable stock, 300ml cream, salt & pepper, nut meg

Sauté onion in olive oil, add all other ingredients bring it slowly to boil, simmer it until the parsnip is soft, take it out & blend it smoothly, check seasoning

Capsicum: 200g red or/and yellow capsicum, 30 g onion brunnoise, 30g rosemary / thyme

Sauté onions in olive oil, add the capsicum, sauté until soft, blend smoothly and strain, check seasoning

Any chef that can have me actually dreaming of eating crocodile again is a chef of note in my book. Hong Kong Chef Liu Ching Hai of Summer Palace in the Regent Hotel is that chef. You might remember our recent review of Summer Palace. We were treated to a special Sunday lunch of traditional Asian dishes and ones with a more modern twist… every dish as tasty as the next. After the meal we were gifted another treat – a chance to sit down and talk (via translator) to Chef Liu about his life & approach to food… and we even got a signature recipe!

Like many great chefs, Chef Liu was inspired by watching his grandmother cook as a young child. He soon caught the full time cooking bug and at 17 began his life in the kitchen, opting to learn through a traditional apprenticeship over formal training.

He soon made a name for himself and began cooking not only in the region’s top hotels, but also for western and Asian celebrities in Hong Kong… including Jackie Chan and Michael Jackson. He even catered Chow Yun Fat’s wedding (I’m a huge fan of his films and so was excited to hear this)! But the celebrity status hasn’t gone to Chef Liu’s head. When pumped for information about the assignments you realize he really treats every diner the same… not placing more importance on a celebrity meal than a regular hotel brunch crowd. I did keep asking him questions though and the most I was able to pry from him dirt-wise is that the Asian celebrities were a bit more down to earth than their western counterparts… taking time to come talk to the chef about their food and about life in general

Chef Liu specializes in seafood and we’re not just talking snapper here. He’s comfortable with anything that’s lived it’s life in water, and prefers simpler recipes that let the quality of the ingredient shine…. something he’s used to from his days in Hong Kong with daily deliveries of the freshest seafood.

The crocodile dish one more time

When not at work he’s cooking at home with his two sons. They’re only 8 and 10 but are already looking as if they’ll be following in their Dad’s footsteps. He says they’ll go to the market and the kids will tell him which part of the fish they want and then once home will stay in the kitchen with their father watching his every movement.

Chef Liu is actually a bit older than his looks, a rarity for chefs… particularly American chefs who look as though they’ve cooked themselves with their years over open flames. So I asked the chef if there was some traditional remedy responsible for his youthful appearance. He smiled and said it wasn’t bird’s nest soup as the translator had joked… it was eating simple and fresh food and trying to just be as happy as possible.

I asked the chef to provide our readers with a signature dish of sorts. Something reflective of his roots, but also something that had ingredients not so out of reach of the average home chef. So I am thrilled to give you:

Wok-Fried Prawns with Asparagus and Black Bean Sauce

Ingredients
Prawns 200g
Asparagus 100g
Black Bean Sauce 20g
Garlic 10g
Bell Pepper 20g
Oil 20g
Flour 10g
Sugar 10g
Chinese wine 5g

Instructions

• De-shell & de-vein the prawns
• Wash the asparagus
• Heat up the wok and add oil into heated wok
• Place prawns into wok, stir-fry till half-cooked, and drain prawns out
• Pour garlic, black bean sauce, bell pepper and asparagus into wok and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
• Add in half-cooked prawns
• Add flour, sugar and Chinese wine
• Stir-fry for 3 minutes.
• Ready to serve.

“Fa cosi caldo qui o e la tua presenza?”

For those of you who don’t know, I’ll be entering a full-time culinary diploma program starting in April. I’m using my remaining months to continue to eat at great restaurants, travel, and take all the short-term cooking courses I can find. One of the more exciting courses I found while searching for classes in Singapore was offered out of Basilico’s at the Regent Hotel, Singapore. Each month they are focusing on a different Italian food region and teaching signature plates from said region. Having previously gorged ourselves enjoyed the sprawling Italian brunch, I knew that the chefs knew their regional foods and had the fresh ingredients required to pull something like this off. For February they went with a theme instead of a region… teaching a 3-course romantic meal that was every bit as indulgent as it was sensual. And as you prepare for your Valentine’s Day, you might consider cooking this rich, romance inspiring meal at home, rather than going out.

We were greeted upon arrival to Basilico’s with a refreshing drink (in appropriate Valentine’s Day color ).

As soon as our full group had arrived (classes are usually more intimate… only 5 in our class) Chef Angelo came out to make introductions and usher us into the cooking area. Chef Angelo is a bit more reserved than some other Italian chefs I’ve met in the past… quiet at first, but he quickly opened up and revealed a subtle sense of humor and dash of Italian flair.

The courses run in my favorite room at Basilico’s: The foie gras and cheese room from the Sunday brunch . The students surround the chef’s demo table and work at individual burners. These are the common kinds you’ve more than likely worked on if you’ve taken any kind of cooking class in the past.

With a brief introduction to our work environment, we were quickly started our first dish: Il Risotto Crab e Prosecco. This was a Southern Italian style risotto where pasta and risotto with fresh seafood is a must, we’re told. Mine turned out like soup a touch on the runny side… but it sure packed great flavors. I think if I had let it reduce a few minutes longer it would have been perfect.

A classic risotto starts with browning the onion in oil and adding the rice, toasting it. A stock is used and stirred in slowly and bit by bit so that the rice and other ingredients absorb the stock. In this case the recipe was made special with the inclusion of Prosecco and Crab and homemade fish stock. But really you can do any kind of risotto with this basic approach. Normally something like a Risotto would leave a lot of dead time in a cooking class due to the long preparation time. Chef Angelo took the time to teach us a handful of useful Italian “love phrases”. The subtitle above translates roughly to: “Is it hot in here or is it just me?”

The next dish on the menu was the Angus Beef Tenderloin. The description just doesn’t do this one justice however. For instance there’s no mention of the steak-sized portion of foie gras we cooked with the steak in red wine and a dab of truffle paste (mostly used for the potatoes underneath the steak, but I let mine mingle in the sauce a bit to bump the flavor). This was a hearty, soul-satisfying meal. If you can’t win a girl over cooking her a dish like this… she’s too fussy, find someone else   It was also quite simple – both the steak and the foie gras were sauteed in a pan and the sauce was made with a reduction of red wine and premade demi glace. Very nearly a one-pot meal, except for the potato, asparagus and tomato which were oven roasted. Chef Angelo showed us a trick when oven roasting – he put the tomatos and onions over a bed of rock salt. This infused both items with a lovely, savoury aroma and took them to the next level. He also said to try it at home with red onions in the skins.

For dessert was a surprisingly light tasting Zabaione Con Frutti Di Bosco. This dessert is historically served to give the one consuming more ” erotic power”… certainly another bonus to this Valentines meal. This was the most labor intensive part of the meal – we whipped 4 egg yolks, 2 spponfulls of sugar and a dash of Amaretto for what seemed like 15 – 20 minutes in a metal bowl held over a boiling water bath. I could actually see myself studying pastry full time if not for the treat of spending my life hurriedly whisking away. In reality it wasn’t that hard and the resulting dessert was well worth the efforts.

The class was great. It took just 2 hours to prepare and consume the 3-courses. Ingredients were top notch and while a lot of it was “dump and stir” (meaning the ingredients were pre-portioned and pre-cut)… there were elements left up to us. I like that instead of giving us perfectly measured amounts of salt and olive oil Chef Angelo had us instead pinch or pour out an amount that felt right to us… tasting as we went along. Little touches like that empower those who take the class, in my opinion, to have  the courage to try them again at home.

Also I loved the rustic nature of the dishes. These were elegant meals in taste, but simple in preparation. I can easily see myself making these dishes at home (maybe sans the foie gras). I’m already planning a pumpkin risotto with crushed black pepper as an adaptation of Angelo’s recipe. I’ll attend the classes in the coming months as well. According to Chef Angelo next month they’ll be covering Gnocchi… something I’ve been dying to make myself.

In the meantime, I can highly recommend the recipes above to you so you can make your special someone this fantastic 3-course Italian meal on Valentine’s Day.

Basilico’s
The Regent Hotel, 2nd floor
1 Cuscaden Road
Singapore
Telephone: +65 6725 3232

Healthy Spa Recipes from our favourite holistic spa

As part of our Health & Wellness 2010 Series

From the age of 5, Kai had a passion for cooking. He started early with his first job in the kitchen at an Austrian ski resort at the age of 16 and from there moved on to London where he worked at Mossimann’s who pioneered healthier cooking through Cuisine Naturelle, healthy foods which do not sacrifice on taste. From there, Kai went to Thailand in 2006 to take the position as Executive chef at Kamalaya. Evolving his approach to healthy cuisine by blending it with Thai culinary traditions, Kai worked with Kamalaya to develop a healthy, spa cuisine menu that is shockingly good and good for you.

To make the spa cuisine that Kamalays guests rave about, Kai focuses on building flavours through curry pastes and herbs rather than butter. And he uses all of the herb when cooking. For example, the stem and root of the coriander it is much more potent that the leaves of the herb. Plus fresh herbs have great antioxidant benefits. Nuts and seeds and high fiber grains are a dominant part of Kai’s cuisine along with high quality proteins like fish, chicken and legumes. He also prefers to use virgin coconut oilwhen cooking at high heat – it has a higher smoking point, so doesn’t break down as quickly. In most tropical coastal areas, like that of Koh Samui, this is the oil that locals use (instead of corn oil) – if you have ever been to Thailand, you will see they are all quite thin and healthy. When cooking at low heat he likes to use sesame oil or olive oil.

Kai shared with us some of Kamalaya’s recipes (a couple of my personal favourites), for you to try at home.

Stir Fried Glass Noodles (Serves 2)
Ingredients:
Glass noodles (soaked for 2 hours) 120g
Carrot, cut into thin half moons 40g
Cauliflower, cut into bite size florets 50g
Broccoli, cut into bite size florets 50g
Snow peas 30g
Asparagus, cut into 3cm sticks 30g
Shitake mushrooms, whole 20g
Cabbage, shredded 20g
Carrot, shredded 20g
Shallots 10g
Lemongrass, sliced very fine 5g
Ginger, chopped very fine 5g
Spring onions, sliced very fine 5g
Sesame oil 5ml
Tamarind juice 30ml
Bean sprouts 60g
Sesame seeds 10g
Sea salt Dash
Coriander leaf (garnish) 5g
Garlic 3g

Instructions:
Heat the sesame oil in a wok or frying pan over medium heat. Add the lemongrass, ginger and shallots and sauté for 15 seconds. Next, add the carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, snow peas, asparagus and shitake mushrooms. Stir for another 15 seconds before adding the drained noodles, tamarind juice and a dash of sea salt .Keep stirring (or it will stick to the pan) until heated through, this should take about 30 seconds. Just before you remove the pan from the heat stir in the spring onions, bean sprouts and sesame seeds. Place in the center of a plate and garmish with coriander.

Poached Sea Bass with Soya and Thai Seafood Sauce (Serves 2)
Ingredients:
Sea bass filet, 2 filets 320g
Ginger 30g
Celery  30g
Spring Onion 30g
Red Chilli  15g
Soya Sauce mix (see below) 180g
Sea salt Dash
Black Pepper Dash
Vegetable stock 250ml
Thai seafood sauce (see below) 100ml
Coconut or Sesame Oil 40ml
Lime juice 20ml
Bay leaf 1 leaf

Soya Sauce Mix:(makes approximately 250ml)
Carrot, with skin 100g
Celery  100g
Onion  100g
Soy sauce  100ml
White soya sauce 40ml
Vegetable stock  300ml

Thai Seafood Sauce: (makes 300ml)
Fish sauce  150ml
Lime juice  150ml
Garlic clove, finely chopped  4 pcs
Chilli, finely chopped   3 pcs
Palm sugar 1tbsp
Coriander root, finely chopped 2 pcs

Instructions:
Begin by preparing the Soya Sauce Mix at least 1 hour before you need it. Cut all vegetables into 5cm slices. Place all ingredients into a wide pot and simmer on a low temperature for 1 hour. Strain the liquid, discard vegetables. Store the liquid in the refrigerator until you need it (you can also freeze leftover and use later).

Prepare the Thai Seafood Sauce by placing all ingredients in a blender and blending for 1-2 minutes. Place mixture into a serving bowl.

Now you are ready to prepare the fish. Cut the ginger, celery and spring onion into fine strips, but not as thin as julienne. Heat the vegetable stock in a saucepan to a very light simmer and season with the bay leaf, celery, lime juice and sea salt. Place the fish into the pan and poach for 7-10 minutes. Once the fish is cooked, remove from saucepan. (If you want, you can save the stock for a clear fish soup later.)

Meanwhile heat the soya sauce mix and the sesame oil in separate and small sauce pans.

To serve place the cooked fish skin side up on the plate with the vegetable strips on top. Drizzle with the warmed soya sauce followed by a drizzle of the warm sesame oil. Serve with the Thai seafood sauce on the side.

Kamalaya Koh Samui
102/9 Moo 3, Laem Set Road, Na-Muang
Koh Samui, Suratthani 84140 Thailand
Telephone: +66 (0) 77 429 800
Fax: +66 (0) 77 429 899

In Spanish cooking pimentón is used to flavor almost everything…. it’s like Oyster Sauce to Thai cooks… you can find it flavoring chorizo, dashed on fried eggs, and even sprinkled on top of grilled seafood. It’s so important to Spanish cooking that they’ve established Denominations of Origin (D.O.) for the various versions… like fine wine in France.

There are several types of Spanish Paprika (from about.com).

• Pimentón Dulce or Sweet Paprika – Round red peppers make this mild, light orange paprika.
• Pimentón Agridulce or Medium Hot Paprika – Longer, dark red pepper make a medium hot paprika.
• Pimentón Picante or Hot Paprika – Made from any of several different types of long red peppers.

Any brands of Pimentón that you prefer? Any ingredients to share? Cant wait to get some and try out the Mark Bittman recipe for Tri-Tip

Paul

Signature dish “Surf & Turf Indiana” recipe after the jump.

When working for Lookeast Magazine I had the chance to sit and talk with many Bangkok chefs. One of these was Arijit Ghosh, then new Executive Chef at Café 11. He’s a soft-spoken, gentle chef in an age of increasingly more exaggerated “personality chefs”. 

Arijit was born in India and considers his mother the best chef he’s ever tasted, but doesn’t specialize in Indian cuisine himself. He considers whatever dish he’s preparing at the moment to be his favorite, but if pushed he’ll admit to, “possessing a bit more flair with French and Italian cuisine.”

Arijit feels that being an executive chef means being a good administrator. This means attention to the customer in the front of the house and to detail in the back of the house. Out front, you can find him socializing and talking to guests to ensure the dishes meet their needs. He’ll even go so far as to prepare pasta for an Italian guests one way and for an Indians a different way.  In the back of the house he’s very stubborn and focused on food quality. Arijit will watch to ensure that recipes are held to the letter. If a recipe calls for two drops of balsamic it will only get two drops of balsamic.

He feels that many chefs today have lost sight of quality.  He feels, “… they were hard working and sincere when they began, but  now people don’t put their heart in to things.  They want to grow too fast.” Arijit worked 8 years in different kitchens before taking on his first executive chef position.

That doesn’t mean Arijit feels he’s “arrived”. He feels that, “as a Chef at every point of life you are learning and the kitchen offers unlimited opportunities to grow and learn.” He embraces this constant learning with new positions, studying overseas, and anything else that will push his career, palette, and generally teach him something new.

Recipe for “Indian Surf & Turf”

Prawns (med sized) 50 gms
Jasmine rice 25 gms
Yellow moong lentils    20 gms
Blanched spinach (chopped) 20gms
Chopped onions 15 gms
Chopped garlic 8 gms
Corriander leaves 8gms
Chopped tomatoes 10gms
Cayenne pepper 4gms
Turmeric powder 3gms
Cumin powder 3 gms
Cumin seeds 3 gms
Salt 6 gms
Heavy cream 8 ml
Unsalted butter 10 gms
Lemon juice 2 ml
Parmesan cheese (grated) 5gms
Brown sugar 5 gms
White wine 5ml

Shell and de-vein the prawns with tails on. Marinade with  lemon juice, salt, turmeric powder and cayenne pepper powder and keep aside. Heat half of the butter in pan and add the cumin seed.

Once the cumin seeds start crackling, add 4gms of garlic followed by 9gms of onion and saute. Then add the rice & lentils and cook for 3 minutes. Add white wine to the rice and lentil mixture and saute. Add vegetable stock or water and cook till 90% done.

Then add the cream, parmesan cheese, cumin powder, corriander leaves and finish with seasoning. Heat the rest of the butter in a pan and saute the onion & garlic. Add the spinach and cook. Season with salt and 1gm cayenne pepper.

Now cook the prawns on a grill. Melt the brown sugar in a pan and add 1gm cayenne pepper. Dip the grilled prawns and roll to make the caramel stick on. Take a plate and place the khichdi as a tian. Put the saute’ed spinach on the khichdi. Place the grilled prawns with the tails up in a triangular manner and serve hot. Garnish with caramalized shallots and chilli oil around the khichdi.

While the flavors of Sri Lanka may not yet be as widely known as those from Thailand, Sri Lankan cuisine has a lot to offer the world. Take this Rambutan Chutney Recipe from The Sun House. This recipe takes a fresh, regional ingredient and adapts it to make a wonderful condiment for any meal.

For those of you who don’t know, the Rambutan (or hairy berry as it’s sometimes called by foreigners ) is a “hairy” fruit similar in flavor to the longan or lychee. Some people are put off by it’s rough and complicated seeming exterior. Really the fruit is pretty easy to manage… just take the berry in one hand and a spoon in the other. Push the spoon into the outer shell until you make a small cut. Then you can simply use your fingers to dig in. Normally if the fruit is ripe you can then quickly peel the outer shell off revealing the juicy, sweet interior (just watch the seed in the middle).

This recipe produces one of the best chutneys I’ve ever tasted. I hope you enjoy.

Ingredients
Salt to taste
-1/3 cup (80 mL) sugar
-½ onion, minced
-½ zucchini, diced small
-½ cup (125 mL) cider vinegar*
¼ cup (60 mL) water
-½ tsp. (2 mL) salt
-8 fresh rambutans, cut in 2, pitted and peeled, using a small spoon, then diced small

Preparation

• In a skillet over medium heat, caramelize sugar. When it begins to colour, add onion and zucchini and cook for about 1 minute.
• Deglaze with cider vinegar and water. Add salt and continue cooking over low heat for 8 minutes.
• Add rambutans and reduce until mixture has the consistency of syrup

Serve over grilled chicken or fish, or even with a cheese platter.

And here’s a bonus Rambutan Recipe from the Sun House. They didn’t send us a name for the recipe but it’s tasty nonetheless.

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons (approx) crushed coriander roots
2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves (or parsley)
vegetable oil
1/2 lb minced pork
4 tablespoons coarse ground, roasted peanuts
4 teaspoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons palm sugar
1 chopped, de-seeded chili pepper
2 cans rambutans, drained

Method

• Fry crushed garlic and coriander roots in oil. When garlic is golden, add all other ingredients except rambutans.
• Cook and stir until the mixture is browned, and fairly dry.
• Add rambutans.
• Cook and mix well for about 2 minutes. Serve as an entree, hors-d’oeuvre, or as a main course with rice.